


Home Is Where My Heart Is

by Dragongoddess13



Series: Everyone Fails At Who They're Supposed To Be [2]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Lost Love, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-26 17:44:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20746220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: After a nervous breakdown shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Arya ran away from home, not to be heard from for nearly a decade. Gendry has lived with that pain for longer than he cares to admit, so when she appears in his tattoo shop one afternoon, he's shocked to say the least.What follows is an attempt to regain what was lost and to move forward in spite of it.Sequel to A Life of One's Own





	1. We All Got Older

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 1: We All Got Older

xXx

Gendry hears the bell above the door ring and sets his pencil aside, closing his sketch pad and pushing through the black velvet curtain that separates his work room from the rest of the shop. There are no windows in the back, Gendry preferring to work under clear white light, so stepping out with the front shop windows unshaded is like stepping out onto the sidewalk at high noon. It’s the one thing he doesn’t like about his new shop, at this time of day the sun hits the front windows as if it were in the street right out front. 

“Welcome to War Paint.” he recites his customary greeting without looking at who had walked in. “What can I…” he stops short, finally looking up, vibrant blue meeting steely grey. He takes some consultation in realizing that she’s just as surprised as he is. 

“Arry.” he breathes, breaking the silence that’s fallen between them. She huffs a laugh, stepping forward and before he knows it she’s right in front of him, throwing her arms around him and laughing. 

“You’re the only one allowed to call me that, you know.” she tells him as his arms come up to wind around her. 

_ “Lucky me.” _ he thinks to himself as he holds her close, afraid she’ll disappear if he lets go.

Much too soon, she’s pulling away, but remaining close, smiling up at him like she used to when they were kids. He takes her in, she’s grown her dark hair long again, but not by much. Her complexion is slightly tanned and her grey eyes sparkle with a life that hadn’t been there the last time he saw her. She hadn’t looked this happy in as long as he can remember. Then again, he hasn’t seen her in almost a decade. No one has. He’d sent a letter with a friend when he found out they knew where she was, but he’d never heard back from her. A part of him doubted she even got the letter. 

“I see now why Jon insisted I come here instead of Cleagane’s.” she speaks up, pulling him from his thoughts. “I’m glad to see you finally got the shop of your own you wanted.” 

Gendry should be mad her, he’s spent years thinking about how much it hurt for her to just pack up and leave without really saying goodbye and yet he can’t keep himself from being happy that she’s here, smiling down at her like nothing has changed. Maybe nothing has. No, that’s not true. A lot has changed since she ran away. Barely eighteen and a bag packed, a letter explaining everything and no contact since. But there’s no anger like he thinks there probably should be. There is only the joy of finally seeing his best friend again. 

“Yeah, goin’ on two years now.” he replies. “Glad to hear your cousin is still hyping the place.” 

Arya laughs, she didn’t do that often when they were kids, did she? No, she was much too serious back then. Her humor was always dry and erred toward sarcasm. She made other people laugh, but she rarely laughed so freely herself. 

“Well, if you have the time, I was looking to get some new ink myself.” She tells him and his brain shuts off for a moment, the memories of the first time he’d inked her playing through his mind. It was her eighteenth birthday and she was adamant on flexing her newly found freedom. She was officially an adult, her mother couldn’t tell her what to do anymore. He had only been working at Cleagane’s for a year and a half, working part time to learn the business while going to art school. Gendry had known art was his passion growing up, but he hadn’t considered tattooing to be road he would travel. The fact that it pissed his father off was certainly a consultation. 

“Of course, what were you thinking?” he tells her, gesturing her back into the back. He slips a sign on the counter as he passes behind it, letting anyone who walks in know he was with another client. 

“Well, it’s not too complicated, but it’s only an idea, not a finished design.” She tells him, sitting in the hydraulic tattooing chair when he gestures for her to do so. 

“That’s alright, we’ll work it out together.” he says it without thinking, and it’s only after he notices the sad look in her eyes that he realizes what he’s said. Perhaps it’s cruel to think so, but there’s a satisfaction in knowing her absence has hurt her too. 

“I, uh, I want it under my breasts.” she continues trying to shake off the awkwardness that lingers. “A vine of Dicentra under each and I want them to meet in the middle with some kind of design. Perhaps chains hanging from the vines as well.”

“Like a jewelry piece, or a chandelier?” he asks. 

“Yes, exactly.” 

“I think I can handle that, just a few questions, the first, what color do you want the Bleeding Hearts to be?” 

A look of surprise crosses her face, followed closely by a pleased expression. Arya, despite her tomboyish charm and tough exterior, had more of a soft side than she let most people see. Her love of plants, flowers, in particular, being the biggest give away. Bleeding Hearts, he remembered, were her favorite, and she looked forward to every spring when she would accompany her mother to the local nursery to pick out new hanging baskets for the Stark Estate. Flowers being the only thing she and her mother agreed on in most instances, Caitlyn was always happy to let Arya pick out the ones she wanted. 

“Pink.” she replies. “And that’s pretty much all I know for sure.” she continues. Gendry hums to himself in thought, turning to grab his sketch pad off the graphing table behind him. He flips to a clean page and Arya watches as he sketches out a basic outline. He tries to block out the feeling of her watching him. She used to love to watch him work. He can still remember afternoons after school, when she’d walk home with him after his Rugby practice, her fencing practice and they’d spend the night putting off homework so he could doodle. 

When he’s finished he turns the paper around for her to see and her face lights up. “It’s perfect.” she says, grinning. 

“Great, give me a minute to get the template ready.” 

Gendry steps back out to the front counter with the materials he needs. He didn’t really need to leave to do it, but he needed a moment of distance. As happy as he is to see her, her sudden appearance has left him reeling. When he’s finished he returns to find her thin jacket has been removed, revealing the t-shirt underneath. He takes note of the fact that she’s as toned as ever, maybe even more so. There’s a tattoo on the inside of her left arm that hadn’t been there the last time he’d seen her, he can’t make it out at a distance, but as he sits in his chair, setting the stencil aside to prep the rest of his equipment, he finally realized what it was. Stag antlers, woven together with deep red roses. 

“That’s lovely.” he tells her, when he realized he was staring. 

A tint of pink flushed lightly across her cheeks and she smiled. “Thank you.” he simply nods, turning back to his work. He’s just not prepared to deal with the emotions that little mark adds to his already turbulent thoughts. 

After a moment of preparing his needles and organizing his colors, Gendry turns back to her. “Ready?” he asks and she nods, getting comfy and lifting her shirt. She settles it across her breasts, keeping all the necessary bits covered, but leaving him enough room to work. 

Gendry puts his professionalism first, setting aside the emotions he’d kept locked up even then. She was his best friend, probably not so much now, but he’d managed to keep his feelings at bay for years while they were growing up. He could most certainly do it now while he had her in his chair. 

He shaves and cleans the area, then applies the template. Once the image has transferred he begins to work, filling in colors and lines, shading and gradients. Normally he’d lose himself to the work, focus only on the image he was creating, but it’s not long before he realizes he can’t do that with her. Not anymore. 

“So, where have you been, if you don’t mind me asking?” he starts, cutting through the silence that surrounded them. 

“Braavos.” she answers easily enough. It made sense. She’d always wanted to go there when they were growing up, but she was always out voted by her sibling. She was almost always outvoted when it came to her siblings. Undoubtedly a deciding factor in her voluntary disappearance. She however, does not say the name with the same awe and longing she once had. Perhaps it’s because she’s been there, lived there, perhaps it’s something else. 

“Was it everything you hoped it would be?” 

Her voice is small, he can barely hear it over the buzz of the tattoo gun. “No.” 

Gendry pulls back to switch colors and chances a glance at her. She was staring up at the ceiling, her face devoid of the joy he’d seen there before. 

“What are you doing back in Winterfell?” he changes the subject, trying to clear away the thoughts that have taken her smile. 

“A few things.” she says, finally looking down at him. “One of which is expanding my business.” 

“Your business?” Gendry stops, looking up at her. Her smile in return in almost shy. 

“Yes, I own several nurseries in several regions and an overall certified flora exportation company.” she explains to his amazement. “I want to open another nursery here in the north and…” she hesitates. “I’m considering moving the company headquarters here.” 

“So you’d be moving back to Winterfell permanently?”

She nods. “I’d have to travel every once and awhile to check in on things, but yes, I’d be here a majority of the time.” she huffs a laugh. “That is if I’m welcome.” 

“Why wouldn’t you be welcome?” 

“My family is happy to have me home, that much is obvious, but what’s also obvious is the fact that they’re all still upset I left in the first place. Even if none of them will admit to it.” 

“I can’t speak for everyone Arry, but I highly doubt anyone who's still mad on some level, is mad enough to want you to leave again.” 

“Are you mad?” she sounds scared. Gendry honestly can’t remember a time she was ever scared of anything.

Gendry looked down for a moment, his eyes tracing the dire wolf tattoo he’d given her for her eighteenth birthday. It was his best work to date back then. He’s still quite proud of it, with it’s soft shadows and vibrant, colorful flowers. “I was at first. But I kept reading your letter over and over, and I realized, as much as it hurt that you left, it also made sense. Sometimes distance is the only cure for the things that haunt us.” 

Gendry goes back to work after that, leaving her with her thoughts. It takes him nearly ninety minutes to get it just right, but when he’s finished he’s quite proud of it. Arya gets up after he cleans it, looking it over in the full length mirror on the far wall. He watches her smile in the mirror. 

“Your immensely talented Gendry.” she tells him, admiring his work as she speaks. “I won’t be going to anyone else ever again.” she continues finally rolling down her shirt and turning to face him. 

He grins. “High praise from her ladyship. Can I print that on a banner and hang it out front?” 

Arya laughs, and it is the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. 


	2. A Life Of One's Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a flashback to A Life Of One's Own, but with an extra scene or two.

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 2: A Life of One's Own

xXx

_ “Why can’t you just be like your sister? Just once?” Catelyn Stark rarely raises her voice. She was well known for her even temper and calm demeanor, but like everyone, she had her limits. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t regret it the moment the words leave her mouth.  _

_ “Because I’m not Sansa!” Arya screams, years of frustration finally boiling over.  _

_ Catelyn freezes, the weight of her outburst catching up with her. “Arya-” _

_ “I’m so sorry I’m such a colossal disappointment!” Arya turns on her heels, storming up the stairs, passed the siblings who’ve come down to see what the commotion is, and into her room, slamming the door as hard as humanly possible and startling Nymeria in the process.  _

_ Nymeria watches as Arya paces the floor, rage boiling beneath the surface, her face red, twisted in frustration and an undercurrent of sorrow. Why? Why was everything she did not good enough? Why did she have to be someone else to be good enough for her mother, for anyone? What was so wrong with her?  _

_ Arya lets out a frustrated growl, throwing herself on the bed. It’s been like this for as long as she can remember. They were raised to be proper ladies, the daughters her father needed to put on a good front for the public. Her brothers were allowed to have fun and be boys, and when they reached a certain age they started following in their father’s footsteps. Arya and Sansa on the other hand, were expected to do what they were told, follow the rules. Don’t be too loud, don’t take up too much space, don’t get dirty and don’t be anything less than ladylike. Her father had always been more lax with all of them, but her mother always made up the difference.  _

_ Well, Arya is anything but ladylike. Sure she can put on a dress, maybe some heels, a little make up and she can look the part just fine, but she doesn’t want to, it doesn’t feel right and she doesn’t think she should have to do anything she doesn’t want to just because her mother thinks she should. Why should she? It was her life, it should be her decisions that matter, no one else's.  _

_ Arya sat up, dislodging Nymeria where she’d laid her head on Arya’s stomach. “Fuck all of this.” she mutters, crawling off the bed and grabbing a pair of scissors out of her desk drawer. In the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror, she takes her long braid in hand, pulling it around her head. Taking up the scissors, she slices it off just above the shoulder. Her mother loves her long hair. Sometimes Arya thinks it’s the only thing she really loves about her. Now it’s gone, and she doesn’t feel an ounce of remorse.  _

_ Arya takes a deep breath, tossing the severed, braided strands on the counter with the scissors and shaking out her hair from the rest of the braid. What’s left lays just above her shoulders, wavy from the braid she usually keeps it in. She tousles it out, pulling at the strands to straighten them out. She trims them up, evening them as best she can. When she’s finished she steps back to get a good look at herself in the mirror. What she sees brings tears to her eyes.  _

_ Arya has never considered herself pretty. It’s hard to when you stand up next to someone like Sansa everyday. It’s even harder when people like to remind you, you aren’t. Horse faced, short, boyish. She knows she’ll never be pretty, there are somethings a new hair cut and make up just can’t fix, but it doesn’t stop her from hoping. Hope that fades with each passing day that she is reminded that she just doesn’t measure up to Sansa or her mother’s standards.  _

_ Arya takes a deep shaky breath, wiping the tears from her eyes and walking out. She stands in her room, looking around absently. Without really thinking about it, she slips her jacket on, grabs her backpack off the floor, slipping out of her bedroom window.  _

_ xXx _

_ Gendry doesn’t see Arya right away. She’s sitting on the front stoop of his porch, hidden behind the large bushes his mother hates but doesn’t have time to cut down. Gendry pulls into his driveway and grabs his bags out of the back seat, stepping out of the car and walking around to the front of the house.  _

_ “Arya?” he asks, as he catches sight of her. “What are you doing here?” There’s something in the way she looks at him, a deep sorrow in her eyes, and the next thing he knows, he’s dropping his bags on the sidewalk and sitting down next to her. “What’s wrong?”  _

_ Arya shrugs. “Can I hang out here for a little while?” she asks, her voice softer than he’s ever heard it.  _

_ “Yeah, of course.” he doesn’t hesitate. She’s always welcome here.  _

_ She smiles up at him, eyes watering a bit. “Thanks.” she chokes out, leaning into his side as he wraps his arm around her shoulders.  _

_ “You wanna tell me what’s going on?” his tone is gentle, and he hopes she can hear the concern in it.  _

_ “It’s stupid.” she mutters, letting him help her to her feet. He hands her his keys and turns to grab his bags while she unlocks the front door. “Your mom still on the business trip?” she asks as she holds the door for him. “I thought she was supposed to be back by now.”  _

_ “Yeah, her boyfriend decided to surprise her on the last day of the conference. They’re going to spend the weekend together; be home by Monday.”  _

_ “That’s nice.” she replies, following him up the stairs. “How was practice?”  _

_ “Ridiculous.” Gendry complains, tossing his bags in the corner of his room. He knows she’s stalling, avoiding having to tell him what’s bothering her. “Ever since they caught Podrick smoking under the bleachers at the stadium, coach has been riding us harder than usual.” he explains, collapsing back on his bed.  _

_ “I’m sorry. If your tired I can go.” she tells him, standing awkwardly in the doorway. A fact that worries Gendry more than anything.  _

_ Arya Stark is like fire. Fierce, she burns hot, consuming everything in her wake and then some. She is rarely ever unsure or uncomfortable, especially not around him. He isn’t sure exactly when she wormed her way under his skin, but it happened and there is rarely a time she isn’t here or he at her home, sprawled comfortably, invading each other’s space.  _

_ “Don’t be ridiculous.” he tells her, sitting up and gesturing for her to join him. She does, taking a seat on the end of his bed as he props himself up against the headboard. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”  _

_ Arya hesitates. “I got into a fight with my mum.” she finally says, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She won’t look at him, so Gendry slides to the end of the bed, grabbing her attention as he stops in front of her. There are tears in her eyes, and Gendry reaches up, wiping them from her cheeks. “What about?”  _

_ “Robb’s wedding. Talisa found this really pretty outfit for me to wear in the wedding. It matches the dresses, it’s like a pants suit, but it’s all one piece and I really liked it for as fancy looking as it is with it’s low neckline and all, but my mum said it didn’t look right. She said I wouldn’t match and I had to wear the dress like all the other bride’s maids. We started screaming at each other and she said…”  _

_ “What? Arya, what did she say?”  _

_ She’s trying not to cry, he can see, her bottom lip quivering a bit as she attempts to restrain herself. “She asked me why I couldn’t be more like Sansa.” the tears fell now, beyond her control. “I don’t understand why I’m not good enough. Why can’t I be myself? What’s so wrong with me?”  _

_ Gendry moves closer, pulling her into his lap. “Hey, stop that. There’s nothing wrong with you Arry.” he tells her, holding her closer as she begins to sob.  _

_ “There is!” she cries. “I’m not good enough for anything.” she stutters through a sob. “I’m not pretty or smart or...or…” she stiffles another sob, burying her face in his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him.  _

_ Gendry’s not sure how long he sits there with her, rocking her back and forth gently and whispering kind words to her. He tells her that she’s perfect the way she is. He tells her there’s nothing wrong with her and she wouldn’t be herself if she changed for her mother, or anyone else. She’s Arya Stark, the She-wolf of the Stark Clan. Fierce and loyal and tough as claws. She’s his Arry, his best friend.  _

_ “Don’t do this to yourself.” he says. “Don’t let them tear you down. You’re amazing. Just because you’re not good at or don’t enjoy traditionally feminine things, doesn’t make you any less than anyone else.”  _

_ He begins to feel her calm down, the sobs slowing and her breathing evening out. He pulls back enough to get a look at her, her face red and a little swollen from the tears that have fallen.  _

_ “I know you probably don’t want to hear this right now, but I bet if you talked to your mum she’d be beside herself for saying that to you.” he tells her. He can see it in her eyes, she knows it’s the truth. It doesn’t make her feel any better. He didn’t expect it to.  _

_ Gendry has known Arya and her family since he was eight years old, Arya only six. His father, Robert Baratheon, had grown up with her father, Eddard “Ned” Stark. They had been the best of friends and both had wanted the same for their own children. Arya had been nothing like he expected from the moment he met her. Where Sansa prefered to play with her dolls and her tea sets (and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that) Arya had preferred to play with the boys. Running around the yard, playing in the mud, rough housing, she had always been, just one of the guys.  _

_ But as they got older and gender politics started to matter a little more to their peers, Arya came under fire for not being more feminine, for preferring to spend her time with boys instead of other girls. She was teased for not liking dresses and for shunning make up. There were a few bullies who called her horse faced which had pissed him off more than anything. She acted like it didn’t bother her, but he could see it chipping away at her armor. Things only got worse when her mother started pressuring her to behave like a lady. By thirteen, she was already planning Arya’s society coming out, a fact that Arya had become an expert at avoiding. He has little doubt that contributed to the argument today.  _

_ Arya sits in his lap for a while, even after she’s calmed down. He doesn’t mind, he likes having her this close. He always likes having her close. As the years passed, Gendry realized Arya had become more than a friend to him. He would never admit it to her, of course, he wasn’t about to ruin their friendship by admitting to feelings she most likely didn’t share, but sometimes he felt like maybe she did. For example now, when she could have gone anywhere, she came to him.  _

_ “Arya?” Gendry asks softly, playing, absently with the end of her shortened hair. “How did you get here?”  _

_ “I walked.” she tells him. It’s not a total stretch. She only lives a few miles away in the neighboring community, only a few blocks from his father. It is, however, a long way to walk when you’re distraught.  _

_ “Why didn’t you just borrow one of your father’s cars?”  _

_ “No one knows I’m gone. I climbed out the window.” she explains.  _

_ “What? Arya? Their probably worried sick about you.” Gendry says pulling back enough to finally look at her. “Where’s your phone, at least call them to let them know you’re alright.”  _

_ “I left my phone at home by mistake. I was in such a hurry to leave I forgot it wasn’t in my pocket.” she has the decency to sound apologetic at least. “I really don’t want to talk to any of them right now.” she continues before he can insist again.  _

_ Gendry sighs. “Alright, fine.” he relents. They sit in silence for a bit, Arya fiddling with the laces on her shoes, but it’s not awkward. That’s the thing about them, it’s never awkward between them, even when it would be for other people. They’re just comfortable with each other, in any situation and that fact sits heavily in Gendry’s chest whenever she’s around.  _

_ Without thinking he reaches out to her, running a hand through her shortened hair. “I really like this,” he tells her, watching the color rise up across her cheeks.  _

_ “Really?” she asks, so unsure it feels like a physical blow. Brash, loud, confident Arya Stark should never sound that vulnerable, ever.  _

_ “Yeah.” he smiles. “Its… you.”  _

_ “You don’t… you don’t think it was a bad idea? Like maybe I made a rash decision or something.”  _

_ “No.” he replies. “Well, you may have acted rashly, I can’t say otherwise, I wasn’t there, but it worked out. You look beautiful. Well, you’ve always been beautiful, but now you look like you’ve settled into yourself. Kind of like you’re more comfortable in your own skin if that makes any sense.” _

_ Arya’s smile is shy as she reaches up and tugs absently on the ends of her hair. “Yeah, it does.”  _

_ xXx _

_ “You’re cheating.” Arya complains, jabbing her elbow into Gendry’s bicep. He laughs, ducking out of the way of another blow, hands holding on firmly to the controller of his game consul.  _

_ “It’s not cheating just because you’re losing.” he replied, still laughing at her attempt to get back the lead. “Oh, yes, how do you like that!” he exclaimed as he won. Arya sighed harshly, tossing the controller onto the bed beside her and laying back.  _

_ “Don’t be a sore loser Arry, you’ve been defeated fair and square.” Gendry teases her, nudging her dangling foot with his own. Arya sits up, kicking out half heartedly and Gendry, talented Rugby player that he is, expertly dodges. “So, what now? You’ve been soundly defeated, shall we do something else?”  _

_ She huffed at him. “It was not that big a margin, don’t get cocky, stupid.”  _

_ Gendry chuckles, plopping back down next to her on the bed. He doesn’t really have a suggestion for what they could do next. In all honesty he’s exhausted and kind of just wants to lay down. But Arya needs him right now and it’s Friday, there will be plenty of time to sleep later.  _

_ “You want to know what I think?” he asks suddenly. She turns slightly to look at him.  _

_ “What?”  _

_ “I think you should check in with your parents.” she sighs. “I know you really don’t want to talk to them right now, but I’d rather not have the police showing up at my front door.”  _

_ Arya rolled her eyes. “You’re so dramatic, you know that? The police aren’t going to show up. Honestly, your phone hasn’t gone off once, they probably haven’t even noticed yet.” and what did it say about her temperament that no one questioned her locking herself in her room for hours on end.  _

_ Gendry stopped to think about it for a moment. “I don’t think I turned my phone back on after practice.” he mutters, suddenly sitting up. He reaches for his duffle bag in the corner and rifles around the side pocket until he finds the phone, pulling it out. “Shit.” he curses, powering it on. As soon as it’s loaded numerous missed call alerts pop up, no less than three from her father, two from from her mother and several more from Robb and Jon. There’s even one from Sansa.  _

_ Gendry holds the phone out to her and she curses under her breath as she reads the screen. “The one time they fucking notice me.” she complains. “I’m supposed to be the invisible one.” she continues, hitting call back on her father’s number.  _

_ Gendry watches her as she waits for him to pick up. It only rings twice before he answers.  _

_ “Dad.” Arya says, cutting off whatever he’s saying on the other end of the line. “Yes.” she answers. “No, I’m okay, I just…” she pauses listening. “Yeah, I know. Is it okay if I stay here.” she smiles softly at his answer. “Thank you.” she replies and then looks up at him as Ned continues to speak. “Sure, he’s right here.” Arya holds the phone out to him. “He wants to talk to you.”  _

_ Gendry takes the phone and she tells him she’s going to run to the restroom to clean up, while he talks to her father.  _

“Gendry?”  _ Ned questions when he puts the phone to his ear.  _

_ “Yes sir.” he replies.  _

“She says she’s alright, but how is she really?” _ _

_ Gendry hesitates. He’s not entirely sure how to describe how she is. “I’ve never seen her so upset.” he finally replies.  _

_ He hears Ned sigh.  _ “Is it alright if she stays there for a little while? Does your mother mind?” 

_ “Of course. Mum is still out of town. She won’t be back until Monday.”  _

“I thought the conference was over today.” 

_ “It is. Davos flew up there to surprise her.”  _

“I see. Well…”  _ Ned sighs.  _ “I trust you, to look after my daughter. There’s a reason she went to you for help.” 

_ “I appreciate the vote of confidence, sir.”  _

“Just take care of her, alright?” 

_ “Of course, I’ll bring her home as soon as she’s ready.”  _

“Thank you, Gendry.” 

_ Gendry hangs up and puts his phone on the charger. He then grabs his sketch pad and gets comfortable at the head of the bed. A few minutes later, Arya returns, curling up beside him like she has so many times before. She falls asleep as he sketches her.  _

_ He’s not far behind.  _


	3. I've Been Afraid Of Changing

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 3: I’ve Been Afraid of Changing

xXx

“You’ve lost your bloody mind mate.” Podrick is just the slightest bit tipsy. Gendry can’t blame him he just got dumped after all. It doesn’t change the fact that he wishes his friend had waited until they got to the restaurant to begin imbibing. 

“I don’t see how.” Gendry replies, steering the group around the corner. Shireen walks beside him, trying not to laugh at how serious Podrick looks. He’s definitely taking this conversation too seriously, a fact that Theon has no problem telling him. 

“I’m not overreacting. I just think you shouldn’t blow this off so easily.” He continues leading the group into the restaurant. The hostess leads them out to the back patio, overlooking Long Lake. 

“I’m not blowing anything off.” 

“What’s he blowing off now?” a voice behind them sounds and as one they turn to find Jon, Sansa and Arya sitting at a table near the railing. 

Before Podrick can explain, Shireen squeals excitedly. 

“Arya?” she says, running around the table. Arya stands laughing as she’s pulled into a bone crushing hug. “When did you get home?” she asks pulling back. “You are home right? That’s what this is? I’m not seeing things and therefore making a fool of myself.” 

“Your not seeing things.” Sansa laughs.

“You are making a fool of yourself.” Gendry teases, and Shireen looks around, noticing the other patrons staring at her, gazes ranging from amused to annoyed. Shireen ducks her head, mouthing sorry as she turns back to her old friend. Arya just laughs, pulling her back into a hug. 

“Would you all like to sit together?” the hostess asks.

“Oh, we don’t want to interrupt your dinner.” Gendry says, but Sansa just waves it off. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re all practically family.” 

“Yes, come sit and tell us how Gendry’s being antisocial now.” Jon added. 

“I’m not…” Gendry sighed, cutting the argument off. “You know, maybe I’ll just sit at the bar.” he jokes, earning a chuckle from the waitress as she sets out four more places at the table. 

“So,” Jon says when she’s done and they’ve all taken their seats. “What’s the old boy done this time?” 

“Nothing, I’ve done nothing wrong.” Gendry defends. “Is this pick on Gendry day?” he’s trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it. One would think he’d be used to this by now. It’s not as if he isn’t a regular target of his friends and siblings. In all honesty, he is a little antisocial, but who wouldn’t be if they worked six days a week, late into the night. 

“Aunt Lettie and Uncle Davos want to throw him a birthday party and he’s trying to weasel his way out of it.” Shireen explains. 

“What? Why?” Sansa questions. “You’re turning thirty that’s a cause to celebrate.” 

Gendry sighed. “It’s just another birthday. It’s no more special than turning sixteen or eighteen. It’s another trip around the sun.”

There was a pregnant pause around the group, each trying to find the right way to respond. Arya beat them all to it.

“Seven hells, Gens, when did you get so dull?” 

The rest of the table burst into laughter as he looked at her with outrage. 

“Hey, I don’t want to hear it from you, miss ‘lets get a tattoo and then tell my very disapproving mother all about it’.” he retorts. “She fucking called to yell at me.”

“She did not.” Arya replies defensively, trying not to laugh. 

“She bloody well did. Called me Machiavellian. I didn’t even know that’s what that meant. I had to look it up.” the laughter only gets worse and he sits there pouting until they all calm down. 

“Oh my gods.” Sansa sighs, dabbing the tears from her eyes. “That’s just too good.” 

“Look,” Jon spoke up. “If you’re worried about Aunt Catelyn yelling at you again, you don’t have to worry. She’s not going to on your birthday. Just don’t go tattooing any of her children anytime…” he paused. “Oh wait.” they both cut their eyes toward Arya who looked apologetic. 

“Oops.” she said. 

“Wait, you got a new tattoo? When?” Sansa asks. 

“Last week.” 

“What? Why didn’t you say anything? I want to see it.” 

“I’ll show you later.” Arya tells her. 

“Why can’t I see it now?” 

“Because it’s not in a place for public viewing.” she explains. 

“Let’s go to the bathroom then.” 

“Seriously?”

“Yes, I want to see it.” 

“Why can’t it wait until we get home?” Arya asks. 

“Because you moved out two days ago.” Sansa says as if that should be enough reason. 

Arya stares at her sister like she’s lost her mind. “You are allowed in my house. You have to drop me off afterward. You can come in.” 

“I don’t want to wait. I want to see it now.” 

“So you’ve said.”

“Please?” 

Arya sighs, staring Sansa down until she finally relents. 

“Yes! We’ll be right back.” Sansa cheered as she got up after Arya.

Shireen bolts up as well. “Wait for me I want to see too.” 

“Seriously?” Arya called over her shoulder. 

“Yes. You have the best ideas.” 

“Bet it’s flower related.” Theon muttered as they passed, earning a pinch from Sansa.

When they were out of sight, Podrick turned to Jon. “Well that was weird. When the hell did she get home?” 

“Two weeks ago.” Jon explained. “Rang the doorbell during Sunday dinner. It was… well it was something.” 

“Bad something?” Gendry asks, concern flaring up in him. Arya had mentioned that everyone seemed happy to see her, but that there were some other feelings that were being pushed aside instead of dealt with. 

“No not necessarily. No one could slept that night and apparently they all had the same idea. There was an impromptu family meeting while she was sleeping and everyone sort of came to the conclusion that they should just let everything go and be grateful she came home.”

“That doesn’t sound very healthy.” 

“It’s not really. I mean, the only people who were ever really angry with her were Aunt Catelyn and Rickon. Then again, Rickon is mad at everything anymore, so maybe just Aunt Catelyn. But the point is, anyone who was mad got over it after a while. I think everyone  _ is  _ just happy she’s home and safe.” 

“Makes sense.” Theon replies. “But what has she been doing all this time?”

“Ask her yourself.” Jon tells him. “She’s not made of glass, you can talk to her like you always have. We learned that rather quickly as well.” 

“Does she seem  _ any  _ different?” Podrick asks, though he knows the answer. Arya being so openly affectionate was practically unheard of growing up. The fact that she pulled Shireen into a hug of her own was enough to raise a few eyebrows. 

“She’s very different.” Gendry tells him. “When I saw her last week I couldn’t help but notice it. She laughed more openly, smiled more. It was like… a weight off her shoulders or something. Like she wasn’t trying so hard to be tough.” 

Jon nods. “Yeah, Robb said the same thing. She’s more comfortable with herself.” 

Gendry simply nods. It makes sense. His only concern, however, was what she had to go through to find herself. Whatever it was, it was enough to sour her view of Braavos, a place she had always dreamed of visiting one day. It could have been that it just didn’t live up to the hype, but Gendry got the feeling that it was far more than that. 

The girls returned to the table in time to place their orders and when the waitress was gone Sansa turned to Gendry. “It’s gorgeous.” she tells him, Shireen nodding in agreement. 

“Thanks.” he replies, a little uncomfortable. He’s never been good at accepting compliments. Arya grins at him across the table, knowing full well how uncomfortable praise makes him. His first year portfolio show had been a nightmare for him. 

“So, Arya,” Theon spoke up, drawing their attention away from Gendry. “What have you been up to?” 

“Starting her own empire apparently.” Sansa mutters though they all heard her. Arya gives her a rueful smile. 

“It’s really not that big.”

“You started your own business?” Shireen asks. 

Arya nods. “I opened a Nursery in Braavos and a year or so later started importing and exporting flora, opened a few more nurseries and a few research greenhouses.”

“And you’re here to open another nursery and warehouse, right?” Gendry asks. 

Arya nods. “The nursery is going to double as a research greenhouse as well.” 

“What does that mean? Research greenhouse?” Podrick questions, surprisingly capable of speech as he finished his first beer since they’d arrived, third of the night. 

“We call it research, because mad science lab makes people nervous.” Arya replies, obviously delighting in the concerned looks she gets. “Relax,” she lets them off the hook. “We splice plant stalks together to create custom colors and hybrid fruits.” she stifled a laugh as they all visibly relaxed. 

The rest of dinner went well. They talked and laughed and caught up, but eventually it had to come to an end. Sansa’s phone rings as they debate whether or not to keep the night going. 

“Everything okay?” Arya asks. 

“There was a break in at work. I have to go meet my boss to go through everything and see what was stolen.” 

“Well you’re not going alone.” Jon tells her. “We’ll drop Arya off and I’ll take you over.” 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll just call an Uber.” Arya tells them and though they both look hesitant to leave her, she’s technically not alone, so they bid their farewells and make plans to meet up again soon. 

When their gone, Shireen and Theon watch Podrick try to sit up straight. Silently, they agree it’s time to take him home. “I think it’s time to get Podrick home.” Theon says drawing their attention. Shireen stands as well. “We’ll get him home.” he continues as Gendry stands to help. “You make sure Arya gets home safe.” he laughs as Arya huffs. 

xXx

“You don’t have to see me home, you know.” Arya tells him, as they walk along the path along Long Lake. 

“I know, but I want to.” Gendry tells her honestly. When everyone had gone, Gendry had asked her what she wanted to do. She’d mentioned living on the far end of Long Lake, a thirty minute walk from Wintertown where the restaurant was located. She’d told him it had been a long time since she walked through the forest around Long Lake, something she’d enjoyed doing when they were kids, so Gendry tagged along. It hadn’t really occurred to him that he hadn’t done this in awhile either. “How are you settling in?” he asks, as they walk leisurely. She seems to be in no hurry to get home, and quite frankly, he’s in no hurry to see her off. 

“Alright. I’ve spent most of the time looking for a location for the new Nursery.”

“Find anything?”

“There are two places that would fit. If things go well, I might end up with both of them.” she explains, kicking a pebble with the toe of her shoe. 

“Are you doing all of this by yourself?” he asks. 

“For now. I have my second keeping an eye on everything in Braavos and I have a few managers I trust to help him out. I’ll work on hiring people once I settle on a location and set up.” they continued along, walking slowly along the old lake trail. “How about you? How have things been going?” 

“Pretty well. You know about the shop. That’s pretty much it at this point.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” she asks. She says it so casually he’s thrown off a bit. 

“I was up until last year.” he tells her. 

“Anyone I know?” 

Gendry shakes his head. “No, I met her in a bar a few years ago.” he hesitates to continue. “Didn’t really end well.” 

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking.” 

“To be blunt, she was emotionally manipulative. Almost convinced me to cut everyone off because they could see what she was doing.” he chances a look over at her to find her looking back at him angrily. It was just like when they were kids, when he would tell her about his father and she would volunteer to beat Robert up for him. He’d never forget the day he realized she’d stopped calling him Uncle Robert. She was always defending him growing up, even though she was half his size and he was fully capable of defending himself she would get in the middle of things, standing up for him like she was eight feet tall and invincible. For the longest time he really thought she was. “But it’s all in the past.” he continues trying to shake the memories. 

Arya is still looking at him, the anger fading to concern as she looks back down the path. “Things like that never really stay in the past.” she tells him, her voice soft against the sounds of the Godswood. 

Gendry looks to her, watching as she stares out ahead of them. “Is that why you came home?” 

Arya sighs. “I came home, because I’ve been gone too long.” she tells him. There’s regret in her voice and Gendry once again wonders what she’s been through these last few years. Before he can ask, she points to an opening in the trees. “My house is just beyond those trees.” She explains. Within moments they emerge from the Godswood in a vast field of lavender. The field sloped upward from the treeline, a line of Lilac bushes at the very top. From the bottom of the hill to the top is a set of slate grey stairs cut into the hillside. At the very top of the staircase there’s a single opening between the bushes where a wooden gate is set into a black wrought iron trellis archway woven through with climbing roses. 

Arya leads the way up the stairs, unlocking the gate at the top and pushing through, leading him into, what he can only describe as a wonderland. Beyond the gate is an elaborate stone patio spanning out in a circle of fifteen feet, where plush patio furniture sits under a thick canopy of climbing vines. Beyond that the path continues between rows of fruit trees. He’s not sure what kind of fruit, until they pass beneath the canopy and he can see the early signs of apple blossoms on one side and peaches on the other. Beyond the trees along either side of the path are fields of flowers of all kinds. He can see a break in the field but he can’t see what’s inside it, his sight blocked by the high grasses and flower bushes. And finally, out in front sits a charming little cottage, ivy growing up the red brick facade. 

“You found your dream home.” he says in awe. Arya looks over her shoulder at him, smiling sweetly. 

“You were right. It was in Winterfell all along.” 

Gendry grins. “I’m sorry what did you say?” 

Arya rolls her eyes. “You were right.” 

Still grinning, Gendry cups a hand around his ear and leans toward her. “I’m sorry, I’m a little hard of hearing. Could you say that again?” 

Arya scoffs, leaning over and swiping something off the ground. She turns to him quickly, tossing it at him. He just barely ducks out of the way of what he quickly realizes is a chewed up tennis ball. “Then get some hearing aids stupid.” 

Gendry cackles, watching her turn and walk up the path and turn right to a door in the back of the cottage. She unlocks the door, leaving it open in clear invitation. As he steps in after her, closing the door behind him, he hears sharp tiny yips and follows the noise, finding Arya behind a baby gate blocking off the kitchen from the living room beyond. She’s kneeling on the floor beside a massive grey and white husky, six puppies yiping happily. 

One of the puppies hears him at the gate and detours toward it moving slowly as it waddles on legs it’s still learning to stand on. He smiles amused and leans down, scritching behind its ears. “You can come in.” Arya tells him, gesturing for him to step over the gate. He does, scooping up the little puppy to keep from stepping on it. He carefully approaches and returns the dog to it’s pack. 

“Did you bring her back from Braavos with you?” Gendry asks, watching as the large female nuzzles at Arya’s arm affectionately. 

“No, actually. I was working in the garden a few days after I moved in and she just appeared beside me. She was heavily pregnant, obviously, and a little emaciated, so I brought her in to take care of her, see if she had a tag or chip. I couldn’t find anything so I figured I’d let her stay for a little while and the next thing I know she’s in labor.”

“So you’ve gone from no dogs to seven in a week?” 

Arya laughs. “Pretty much.” 

Gendry sits down on the floor beside her. The puppy he brought back manages to turn itself around and return to him. An impressive feat given that it still hadn’t opened its eyes. 

“I think he likes you.” she teases and Gendry smiles, picking up the tiny puppy and softly stroking it’s fur. It yips softly, slowly drifting off to sleep. “My siblings are taking five of them, I don’t suppose you want a dog?” 

Gendry chuckles. “You know I don’t think I’m opposed to that idea.” he tells her. “Speaking of siblings.” he continues not long after, laying the little puppy out with it’s siblings who have also drifted to sleep. “How are things going since I saw you last week? You and Sansa seem a lot closer than you were when you were kids.” 

“Yeah, it’s… weird honestly. I don’t know what I expected. A part of me thought we would fall back into our old ways involuntarily but it hasn’t been like that at all.” she smiles softly. “It’s nice.” 

“I’m glad things are working out.” 

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s only been two weeks. I keep waiting for the inevitable explosion when someone finally just loses it.” she tells him. “My money’s on Rickon. Has he seems so angry?” 

“Yes, yes he is.” 

Arya sighs. “I’m sure that’s my fault too.” she says. 

“What do you think is your fault?” 

Arya hesitates. “I just… I feel like all the bad things that happened to my family after I left… I don’t know. Maybe if I was here I could have helped or even stopped them.” 

“Arry, your not a magician. You can’t magically make things go away just by being here. Life happens, whether we like it or not. Just because you’re back doesn’t mean nothing bad is ever going to happen again.” 

“Logically I know that.” she says. “But I just can’t help but feel guilty anyway. You know, Jon told me about Ramsey and Sansa, and Bran is in a wheelchair. I heard about your dad. I mean I know you guys didn’t get along, but he’s still your father.” she sighs. “I just… I’ve missed so much. I didn’t mean to be gone so long, but so much happened there.” 

“Like what?” 

Arya looks up at him, steely grey eyes clouding over as memories come unbidden. Gendry regrets asking the minute the question leaves his mouth, but her reaction is more intriguing than any answer he expected to get. 

“Just... a lot.” she finally replies, looking away. She turns her attention to the mother dog, scritching around her ears as silence over takes the room. The house grows darker as they sit there and it’s not long before they realize that storm clouds are rolling in over the setting sun. The first crack of thunder startles the puppies awake and Gendry gets up to peek out the window. 

“Damn, I better hurry if I want to beat the storm.” he tells her, turning to find her standing behind him. He nearly yelps at finding her so close. He hadn’t even heard her get up, much less walk over to him. 

“Don’t be stupid, you can’t walk back in a storm.” she tells him, that little pinched look on her face. The one she always got when he said something illogical or as she deemed it “stupid”. 

“Well I am stupid, don’t you remember?” he teases her. 

She rolls her eyes, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He laughs, grinning at her the same way he always did whenever he managed to get in a comeback good enough to keep her from responding. 

“Just stay here.” she says exasperated. 

Gendry’s grin only gets bigger. “Honestly Arry, if you wanted me to stay you didn’t have to come up with a stupid excuse.” 

“You know what, fine.” she looks indignant, reaching out quickly and pinching him. “Go out there and get electricuted, see if I care. I’m sure this little puppy will just bond with someone else.” Gendry scoffs, laughing. “I’ll find someone else for any future tattoos.”

“You know, I could just call an Uber.” 

“The road is dirt. It gets too muddy when it rains. Nothing short of a four wheel drive will get through it.” she looks extremely pleased at having outsmarted him, and he rolls his eyes. 

For a moment it hits him. He hasn’t felt this way in a long time. Bantering back and forth with his best friend, trying to make each other laugh with their half hearted arguments; calling each other names to get a rise out of the other. He’s missed this. Missed it more than he realized and having her here now, in front of him feels like a dream. A dream he’s loathed to wake up from. 

Arya looks surprised as he suddenly reaches out, pulling her into a hug. She’s still so small, his arms wrap all the way around her, and he feels her tense for a moment before she relaxes, melting into him. It was an abrupt mood change, but it just felt right. He just needed to satiate the sudden urge to hold her. 

“You’re such a sap.” her voice is muffled into his chest and he chuckles, the deep sound rumbling through his chest. Despite her words she doesn’t let go, if anything she holds on tighter, gripping his shirt to keep him in place. 

He’s all too happy to stay put. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm editing this as I post, and it occurs to me that some people might be disappointed with the fact that Ive chosen not to convey or even show a few things, but I just want to reassure anyone who might feel that I'm planning some more stories for this series, so if you don't see something you wanted here, you will more than likely see it later.


	4. The Long Way Down

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 4: The Long Way Down 

xXx

_ Gendry wasn’t much of a social butterfly, not like Arya, and yet he was the one who insisted they go to this party. She was perfectly content to spend their Friday night at the movies or at his house playing video games, but Gendry had needed to do something reckless and there was nothing better for that than underage drinking.  _

_ Arya had slipped away from him not long ago, or maybe it was a while ago, he couldn’t remember anymore. The point was, Arya wasn’t with him anymore and in a split second of clarity he grabbed his cup and went looking for her. He looked all over the house, accidentally walking in on no less than three couples in his search. Maybe it was because he’d witnessed his peers enjoying the company of their crushes and significant others, but at some point, Gendry decided that a year of pinning for the youngest Stark girl was enough. In his drunken state of mind he resolved to finally tell her the truth; that he was in love with her. He was just drunk enough not to be worried about ruining their friendship if she rejected him and if she did, he most likely wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning and could brush it off as a drunken mistake.  _

_ With those thoughts swimming around his booze addled mind, Gendry stepped out onto the back patio, finally locating Arya. His heart stopped when he finally saw her, sitting sideways on a sun lounger, laughing at something Elmar Frey was saying. Gendry’s mood soured instantly.  _

_ Elmar Frey seemed like a nice enough guy, there was no doubt about that, but there was just something about him that Gendry didn’t trust. He couldn’t explain it, but something rubbed him the wrong way. There were times when Gendry thought he was crazy for thinking so, pretty much everyone else thought he was a nice guy, but Gendry held firm. He wasn’t rude to him, but he did avoid him wherever possible.  _

_ Gendry was just about to break up their conversation when he saw Elmar lean closer. Arya looked a little nervous, but she didn’t pull away and before he knew it they were kissing. A nauseous feeling bubbled up in his chest and he turned on his heels, dropping his cup and running back into the house, wrenching open the first bathroom he found and doubling over the toilet.  _

_ When he pulled away, sitting back against the wall and rubbing his temples, he found Arya standing in the doorway. She stepped in, closing the door behind her and slid to the floor beside him.  _

_ “Are you alright?” she asks, reaching up to feel his forehead.  _

_ “I’ve been better.” she replies, taking slow deep breaths.  _

_ “Do you wanna go home?” she continues.  _

_ He shook his head, instantly regretting it. “No, don’t want to interrupt your date.” he tells her.  _

_ “It’s not a date. We were just talking.” she tells him.  _

_ Gendry scoffs. “Yeah, it definitely looked like you were just talking.”  _

_ Arya rolls her eyes, undoubtedly assuming he was teasing her, and his disgruntled tone had more to do with the beer he’d been mainlining all night. “Come on, stupid, let’s go.” she gets up, helping him to his feet.  _

_ “Really, Arry, you don’t have to, I’ll go by myself.” he pulls his arm out of her grasp a little too hard and for a moment he thinks she may have noticed he’s not teasing her. But she shakes it off.  _

_ “No, you won’t. You wanted to come here to rebel against your dad. Well, now that you’ve puked, I think it’s safe to say you’ve done so sufficiently.” _

_ “I don’t want to go home.” he pouted. He knew he sounded like a child, but he just didn’t care.  _

_ “You don’t have to. You can stay at my house tonight. Mom and dad are still out of town, so they’ll never know. I can’t promise Robb and Jon won’t try to mess with you in the morning, but then again, I can’t promise I won’t either.”  _

_ Gendry scoffs again, but doesn’t argue when she leads him through the house. They’ve made it out the front door before Gendry catches sight of Elmar Frey approaching.  _

_ “Oh good, you’re alright.” he says, and Gendry just glares at him. Maybe he is crazy, but everything about this kid screams dangerous to him.  _

_ “Peachy.” he mutters, continuing off down toward the street. The house is only a few blocks from Arya’s house and he’s fairly certain he can get there on his own. Like a masochist, though, he peeks over his shoulder, catching Elmar slipping something to Arya. She smiles at him and runs to catch up with Gendry.  _

_ They walk the few blocks in silence and when they arrive at Arya’s home, they find Robb and Jon coming in as well.  _

_ “Damn mate, you look like hell.” Robb laughs, clapping Gendry on the back. Gendry lurches forward slightly, grimacing as a new bout of nausea starts up. He bolts passed Jon at the door and to the powder room off the foyer.  _

_ “You didn’t drink did you?” he hears Robb as Arya.  _

_ “Just one.” she replies honestly.  _

_ Gendry cleans up and comes back out, interrupting anything else they might have said. “Come on.” Arya says, taking him by the arm and leading him upstairs.  _

_ “See you guys in the morning.” she tells her brothers as she leads him up the stairs.  _

_ Once in her room, Gendry collapses back on the bed, half his body hanging off. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asks, her voice soft as she sits beside him, running her fingers through his hair.  _

_ “No.” he groans into the mattress. He turns over onto his side, closing his eyes as she keeps running her fingers through his hair. There were so many things he wants to say, but all that comes out it; “Please be careful around Frey.”  _

_ Arya sighed. “I will. I promise.”  _


	5. Opening Day

Home Is Where My Heart Is 

Chapter 5: Opening Day

xXx

“Would you hurry up, I want to see her before it gets crowded.” Shireen calls back to Gendry as she and Myrcella rush ahead through the gravel parking lot. He chuckles, shaking his head and turning his attention to the puppy in his arms. 

“They’re crazy, aren’t they?” he asks him, clipping the leash on the matching black collar. He sets the puppy, who he’s named Thor, on the ground then locks up his car, heading out after his cousin and sister. The nursery lies ahead and he can already see a small crowd of people lining up to enter. After three months of work, the grand opening of Arya’s nursery has arrived and quite frankly, Gendry’s a bit nervous. There’s a part of him that’s worried things won’t work out here and she’ll leave again. After having her back for three months and being reminded of how much he’s missed her, he’s loath to lose her again. 

Gendry follows Shireen and Myrcella through the back door of the attached flower shop, the sounds of excited greetings filtering out as he stepped through the door, catching sight of the girls with Arya. He smiles as he watches them, finding such joy in how happy Arya looks. She catches sight of him as he approaches and smiles like she’s thrilled to see him. It ignites a feeling he hasn’t felt since they were kids. 

“Hey.” she greets as he steps up, throwing her arms around his neck. He gladly returns the hug. When she pulls away she kneels down to greet Thor. “How are you doing baby? You like you’re new home?” Thor spins around, panting and jumping up on her knee. “I think that’s a yes.” she laughs, looking up at him. He grins. 

“Of course he does. It’s just us guys.” Gendry jokes. 

Myrcella and Shireen groan, rolling their eyes. “A regular bachelor pad.” Myrcella teases. Arya laughs, standing. 

“There’s quite a crowd out there.” Gendry speaks up. Arya sighs. 

“Yeah, unfortunately I’m not sure they're all here for flowers.” she tells them. 

“What do you mean? Why else would they be here?” Myrcella asks confused. 

“Someone leaked the lease papers to the local tabloids. It’s all over town that it’s my shop.” she explains. A feeling of anger threatens to overwhelm him and it takes Shireen leaning into his side to keep him grounded. He thought all of this was behind her. He hoped that people would forget, that for once in her life she would have the simple, normal life she always wanted. He should have known better than to hope people would mind their own business. “Oh well.” she finally says. “Shit happens.” she sighs. 

Before anyone can reply, one of the store clerks calls her over and she excuses herself for a moment. 

“One guess who fucking leaked that information.” Gendry growls, fists clenching. 

“Gendry, you have to stay calm.” Myrcella tells him. “Dad and Uncle Ned had to pull a lot of strings to get you out of trouble the last time.” 

Gendry does his bet to let it go, but he’s still pissed off and there isn’t much anyone can do about it. Through the years that Arya was gone, a lot of people had questioned how he could forgive her for leaving without saying goodbye, without warning, but the truth was, he could never be mad at her for running away. He could, however, be angry at the one who drove her away. 

Elmar Frey. 

He’d warned Arya to be careful around him. He couldn’t blame her for letting her guard down, he was disarmingly charming to most people and to a young girl who’d been told all her life by her peers that she wasn’t pretty enough, or feminine enough or in some cases making her feel like she wasn’t good enough, attention from an attractive, popular guy would have gone a long way to making her feel like she wasn’t some freak her parents regretted. 

Watching it all come crashing down around her had been painful and heart breaking and he had tried to do everything he could to lessen the blow, but it wasn’t enough. Years of feeling like she would never be good enough for anyone, never be the daughter her parents deserved or the sister her siblings wanted had finally culminated in a massive breakdown that was so bad it made her feel like she had to leave the country. 

Gendry had been so angry about the entire situation that a few years later when he’d overheard Elmar bragging about the entire incident in a pub, he’d lost control. Elmar had ended up in the hospital and Gendry had ended up in a holding cell, Arya’s father coming down in person to bail him out and pull enough strings to get the charges dropped. He’d never told anyone, but Eddard had actually thanked him for standing up for Arya. 

Eventually the nursery opens and Gendry’s more than happy to stick around to provide support in anyway he can, even if it’s only being close by for her to talk to when she needs a moment. She was right about the people who had shown up. A few of them were just there to see the infamous Arya Stark, but more of them were there for what the shop had to offer. A fact that seems to bolster Arya’s confidence. She only has to fend off invasive questions a few times and as soon as they realize she isn’t going to rise to their bate, they leave. 

By the end of the day, Arya seems more hopeful than she had when they arrived. It’s a freeing feeling to see her so happy. 

“You never cease to amaze me.” Gendry tells her as he walks her to her car. She’s carrying Thor, cuddling him to her chest and showering him with affection. She looks up at him confused. “I remember when we were kids, how you didn’t know what you wanted out of life, but here you are, expanding a business you started yourself, rising above all the shit that used to weigh you down.” 

Arya looks away, burying her face in Thor’s fur. “Sometimes… you just have to let go.” she replies, kissing Thor on the top of the head before leaning down and setting him on his feet. “You used to tell me all the time that I was enough. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”

“You can hear it a million times and it still might not be enough.” he says. And the truth was, he was up against some powerful odds. Arya and her siblings spent their lives on the front page of every tabloid in the North, from sharing things as intimate as personal information, to printing their grades and school transcripts for the whole world to see. Worst of all, because Arya worked so hard not to be in the spotlight, they zeroed in on her more than anyone else. She went out of her way to avoid the press and the paparazzi, but they always seemed to find her. A small part of him wondered if someone wasn’t actively working against her growing up, spreading her information to make it impossible to get away. If that were true he could think of a few people who would do something like that. 

Arya smiles softly up at him and he smiles back. “Thank you, Gendry. You didn’t have to be so open with me when I came back, I… I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re still here.” 

His smile widens. “I’m always here, Arry, always.” 

Arya looks away, and for a moment he thinks she wants to say something else, but she simply smiles at him again, a soft thank you on her lips and gets into her car. 


	6. Standard Expectations

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 6: Standard Expectations

xXx

_ Two months after Arya’s eighteenth birthday, college is just a few weeks away and Arya is excited for a new adventure. Things are going well for her. She got into her first choice school, her best friend is going there too and her boyfriend will be staying in Wintertown for his schooling as well. She still argues with her sister, though not as much, her mother still nags her and sometimes she still feels like a disappointment, but with Gendry and Elmar at her side, it doesn’t hurt quite as much.  _

_ She should know better by now, not to think like that.  _

_ Privacy has always been a big issue in her life. Her father is a politician, her brother is thinking about going that direction as well. Her parents both come from old money and her father’s family is well known in the North as one of the founding families. So it’s pretty common for the press to seek them out for a good story, whether it be about her father’s latest proposal in the house or, as some of the trashier tabloid shows like to do, comparing her to Sansa, they never seem to run out of ways to invade their privacy.  _

_ So, on the morning before she’s supposed to start College, waking up to her mother barging into her room screaming about respectability, she’s not quite prepared, but she thinks she should have been.  _

_ Arya startles awake as the door slams open Caitlin Tully-Stark barging into her room, her face red with anger and a concerned Sansa following after her, begging her to calm down. That alone is a strange sight. Sansa usually takes a sick pleasure in watching Arya get in trouble, something about thinking her little sister is their father’s favorite. It doesn’t bother Arya that much, she takes a sick pleasure it watching Sansa get in trouble too; she’s clearly their mother’s favorite. _

_ “What were you thinking?” Caitlin exclaims, waving around the newspaper like a weapon. Arya stares up at her confused, eyes still heavy from sleep.  _

_ “What are you talking about?” she asks, only to have the newspaper thrown at her. Arya sits up, unfolding it, feeling her heart stop as she reads the headline on the front page.  _

Stark Heiress Bares It All

_ The picture below it is of her, her back to the camera, but it’s definitely her. She’s naked, caught in an intimate embrace with Elmar. It was taken two nights previous, when Elmar had taken her to the beach at Long Lake to watch the stars and things had escalated from there. It was her first time and she had thought it was so romantic, making love under a blanket of summer stars. Clearly she had been wrong.  _

_ Her mother has been yelling the entire time, but Arya can’t hear her, the blood rushing in her ears. She picks out things like the horde of reporters outside and the damage this could do to her father’s political career, but she never asks if she’s okay. Eventually Sansa’s voice cuts through the yelling and Arya looks up surprised, finding her mother staring shocked. _

_ “Do you even care that your own daughter has been violated?” Sansa asks, outrage clear on her face. This could just as easily have been her and given the secret she’s been keeping from the rest of their family, Arya suddenly realizes how much worse this could have been if it had been Sansa on that beach with a girl. “She shared an intimate moment with her boyfriend. Her first time and she was  _ violated  _ by him. Does that not matter to you at all, or are you so caught up in your own little perfect world that you don’t even care about us as people, only little dolls to dress up and parade around for dad’s reputation?”  _

_ “Sansa…” Caitlin tries to reply, but Arya interrupts.  _

_ “What do you mean ‘by him’?” they turn to look at her and it’s like her mother is seeing her for the first time, tears spilling down her cheeks, eyes unfocused as she tries to process what’s going on.  _

_ Sansa looks ready to cry as well. “I’m so sorry, Arya.” she says. “I didn’t get Jeyne’s message last night, I slept right through it.”  _

_ “Sansa, what are you saying?” Caitlin asks.  _

_ “Jeyne overheard Elmar talking to one of his friends the other day, about how he figured out a way to make his name more recognizable. He wants to work in television after college and he thought a scandal was the perfect way to do it.”  _

_ Caitlin gasps. It should be funny how dramatic her reaction is, but Arya can’t bring herself to laugh. All she feels is numb and there’s a throbbing in her head as the tears fall unbidden. Before she knows what’s happening her mother is there, pulling her into her arms and whispering apologies. She barely hears them.  _

_ The day is a nightmare. She can barely get out of bed and the reporters outside keep trying to sneak up to the house. Several have climbed the fence to take pictures through the windows. Her father is livid, no longer caring about his reputation and getting physical with one of them when he finds them trying to climb the trelles outside her bedroom window. He calls in a few favors and gets the police to drive them away, but it won’t do her any good tomorrow. She’s supposed to start school and the mere idea of leaving the house with everyone just waiting to hear from her, is fear she’s never known.  _

_ Thank the seven for Gendry.  _

_ Gendry manages to sneak into the house from the woods out back, Robb letting him in through the back door.  _

_ “She won’t eat anything, won’t come out of her room.” Robb explains as he walks with Gendry upstairs. “She barely speaks and after this morning, she won’t let anyone in her room, not even dad.”  _

_ Gendry suspected as much. She wouldn’t answer her phone all day either, too afraid of seeing something that would make everything worse. He stops outside her door and knocks, but receives no answer.  _

_ “Arry, it’s Gendry.” He calls through the door. He’s vaguely aware of the few other bodies that have joined them, her mother and sister, and Cousin Jon. They all want to see her, all want to know she’s okay. She’s not okay though, she won’t ever be okay, not after this.  _

_ Surprisingly, the door opens and Arya peaks out. Her face is pale, eyes red from crying and when she sees him, the tears start to fall again. “I’m sorry.” she whispers.  _

_ “For what?” he asks.  _

_ “For not listening to you.” she tells him. “You tried to warn me about him and I didn’t listen.”  _

_ Confused, Gendry asks: “What are you talking about?” he chances a look back at the few members of her family that have gathered in the hopes of catching sight of her, if only for a moment.  _

_ “Elmar set the whole thing up for publicity.” Sansa replies. Anger passes over Robbs and Jon’s faces, her mother looks heartbroken and Gendry can feel the heat rising up on his face. The blood is rushing in his ears and his body rings taught as though preparing to pounce. Robb seems to recognize where his thoughts are headed and puts himself between Gendry and the exit.  _

_ “Don’t mate. He’s not worth fucking up your life.”  _

“No, but she is.” _ he thinks to himself, letting himself breath deeply.  _

_ Arya lets him in and they spend the rest of the evening together. She cries and he holds her and in the morning her father tells her he’s made some calls to the school and everyone agrees she should have some time to herself before she starts.  _

_ It doesn’t matter though. She’ll be gone in a few days, a bag packed and letters waiting for them on her neatly made bed.  _


	7. Even Children Get Older

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 7: Even Children Get Older 

xXx

Gendry turns to find The Stark Clan stepping out onto the back patio of his mother’s home and smiles. His mother greets Caitlin and Ned and Robb and Talisa are just behind them, their own children, Robb Jr. and Cassie, scanning the yard. They spot him as he approaches and they run to him, letting him scoop them up. 

“Happy Birthday Uncle Gendry!” Cassie tells him as she clings to his neck. 

“Why thank you sweetheart.” he replies. 

“We brought Grey Wind to play with Thor.” R.J. adds. 

“Well I’ll bet he’ll like that.” Gendry says, setting them back on the ground. As if on cue, the two puppies come bolting out of the house, chasing each other around the yard. The rest of the Starks stepped up to greet him and wish him a happy birthday. Robb and Talisa, Jon and Yigritte and their little girl Lyanna, Sansa and Margaery, Bran, Rickon and finally Eddard and Caitlin. 

“Arya wanted us to let you know she would be late. One of her clerks called in sick and she’s waiting for her fill in to get there.” Eddard tells him. 

“So everything’s going well with the nursery then?” he asks. 

“It seems to be.” Caitlin replies, a bit of pride in her voice. Of everyone, Arya’s leaving seemed to have the most profound effect on Caitlin. She blamed herself for being too hard on Arya, or trying to make her into something she wasn’t. Whatever Arya had written in the letter to her parents had certainly stuck with her mother and the once high brow, properly lady seemed more relaxed. She certainly wasn’t quite so hard on her children and the press she once spent her days trying to impress were now nothing more than a nuisance. That of course, could have more to do with the way they crucified her daughter for being a teenager. 

Now that Arya was back though, Caitlin seemed more upbeat. She was proud of her daughter building a life for herself all on her own, and even if she wished she had been able to do that with them, it was impressive that she had done it all on her own, with no support and no family name to open doors for her. 

The party continues on, guests arriving through the next hour or so. It’s great fun, but Gendry isn’t much for socialization so at some point he slips away to use the restroom. When he’s done, he takes a seat on the sofa in the living room, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He just needs a few moments to recoup some energy. He’d tried so hard to get out of this but there’s very little he can do when his mother gets an idea in her head. He supposes it’s not so bad, it’s nice to see his friends and family all together again, but knowing his mother she intends this party to last far into the evening and he’s not sure how he’s going to handle that. 

“Still as antisocial as ever I see.” Gendry startles at the voice against his ear, turning to find Arya leaning against the back of the sofa. She looks amused, smiling at him. “Happy Birthday you stupid bull. How does it feel to be old?” 

Gendry laughs. “You’re not far behind me, I’d watch yourself.” she grins, walking around the sofa and sliding into the seat next to him. Nymeria clambers around her legs, climbing up on the other side and laying her head in his lap. 

Arya weaves her arm through his and leans against him. “How’s it going out there?” she asks. 

“Not bad. Everyone seems to be in good spirits.” 

“Your mom’s parties have that effect on people.” 

He chuckles. “True. How about you? Everything going well at the Nursery?” 

“Everything is great. The nursery, the shop, the greenhouse.” she sounds so happy, so light and carefree. It’s a wonderful sound, to hear her so happy. He never thought he would hear that again. There was a time when he thought he’d never see her again. Specifically after he’d sent her that letter. Their mutual friend Hot Pie had moved to Braavos for an internship and after he’d returned home briefly for a holiday, he’d confided in Gendry that he had run into Arya. He wouldn’t give him any details about her but he did agree to deliver a message. The problem was, he had so much to say and no idea how to say it so Hot Pie could relay it to her. So he wrote a letter and when he didn’t get a response he assumed she didn’t want to hear from him. 

As they sit on the sofa, just enjoying each other’s presence as they had so often growing up, he considers asking her about it. But a part of him isn’t so sure he wants the answer. 

“We should get out there, everyone is probably looking for you.” she tells him. He groans.

“Any chance I could convince you to go up to my old room, lock the door and pretend we’re sixteen again?” 

She looks up at him, her chin on his shoulder, something unrecognizable in her eyes. “That sounds great.” 

Gendry swallows around the lump that’s suddenly formed in his throat. He stares right back at her, unsure what to say or do. If he could turn back time he would, but they can’t. As lovely as it would be to just go back to a simpler time, to play video games and just exist together, the rest of the world on the outside. It felt like nothing could touch them back then. He wants to go back to that time, when she wasn’t so haunted and there wasn’t ten years of life between them. 

Gendry is pulled from his thoughts when he feels Arya shift against him. Had she been this close a minute ago? No she hadn’t, he decides as she moves that much closer. It’s not long before he realizes her intent, the kiss soft, tentative. He’s so stunned he doesn’t react and she pulls back startled, as if suddenly coming back to her senses. “I’m sorry.” she mutters, moving to stand. He doesn’t let her go. Their arms still entwined, he pulls her back down against him, giving her a kiss of his own. It’s not long before it deepens and the control he must exert over himself to keep from taking this further is immeasurable. 

When they pull away she’s smiling and it takes only a moment to realize he’s smiling too. 

“We should get out there.” he tells, voice soft in the silence that surrounds them. “Mom and Davos are looking forward to seeing you.” she smiles and nods, letting him lead her outside. 


	8. Even Children Get Older

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 8: ...And Many More

xXx

_ Arya wakes to the sound of her bedroom door creaking open. It’s not long before she feels the dip in the bed beside her, the body lying down beside her, watching her sleep. She fights the urge to laugh but she can’t for long, hearing his deep chuckle in reply.  _

_ “Rise and shine my little wolf.” Eddard Stark chuckles as she scrunches up her nose. “It’s a very important day.” Arya opens her eyes to find her father smiling back at her. “You’re a whole year older, how do you feel?”  _

_ “Mmm, sleepy.”  _

_ Eddard chuckles. “Well, that’s to be expected, you were born very early in the morning.”  _

_ “Oh boy,” she rolls her eyes good naturedly, rolling over onto her back. Eddard does the same still smiling. “Here we go.”  _

_ “I remember it like it was yesterday.” he says as she scoots closer to him. “Your mother was miserable in the heat, but at least there was no snow on the ground.”  _

_ “She would have prefered the snow.” Arya replies smiling.  _

_ “So she has said. It was so hot, the electricity kept going out, and the doctors were worried if anything went wrong they wouldn’t be able to do anything.” he explains. “They tried to slow the labor, but you just weren’t having it.” _

_ “I am known to be stubborn.”  _

_ “You get it honest. Before any of us knew it, there you were, screaming your way into the world. And do you know what your mother said to me as she held you in her arms?” _

_ “Our very own she-wolf.”  _

_ “That’s right. You had the whole hospital in awe with how loud you could scream. They thought you were being tortured. The police were called.” _

_ “They were not!” she laughs. _

_ “They were.” he chuckles. “I hope you know how proud I am of you.” he tells her. She looks over at him and smiles.  _

_ “Really?” she asks. He nods.  _

_ “I know this life isn’t always easy for you. I know you like your privacy and your freedom, and you don’t always get that, but I hope you know that no matter where you go in life, no matter what you do, you will always be a Stark. Good or bad, you will always be apart of this family. Our little she-wolf.”  _

_ She smiles, resting her head against his shoulder and he leans over, laying a kiss on her forehead.  _

_ “Now,” he continues. “Everyone is up, Gendry just got here and your mother made all your favorites for breakfast. Time to get up and celebrate.”  _

_ “It’s my birthday though, can’t I stay in bed and celebrate?” she asks.  _

_ Eddard laughs, kissing her on the forehead again as he gets up. “Nice try, little girl, get up.”  _

_ “I’m not a little girl anymore, I’m an adult!” she calls after him, earning a round of laughter from him.  _

_ xXx _

_ “You look so scared.” Arya tells him, laughter in her voice. He scowls, swatting at her feet where their propped up on his dashboard.  _

_ “I’m not scared, just worried.” Gendry tells her, turning back to the road.  _

_ “About what?” He looks away from the road long enough to give her an incredulous look. “My mother?” he looks away again, which is all the answer she needs. She cackles, head back against the headrest as she sticks her hand out the window to feel the breeze. “What do you think she’s gonna do? Look disappointed?”  _

_ “Hey, you joke, but her disappointed looks are very effective.” he replies. “Your father also happens to be the most powerful man in the North.”  _

_ Arya grins at him. “You don’t have to worry about him. He loves you.”  _

_ “Yeah, and I’m sure he’ll just love that I tattooed his baby girl.” he mutters. She laughs.  _

_ “They may not like it, but I can’t wait. I’ve been thinking about it all month.” she tells him. “I’m so excited.” _

_ “I know, you’ve had the picture I drew you pinned to the wall next to your bed all this time.” he rolls his eyes as he pulls into the empty space out front of Sandor’s shop. Her grin widens, she’s practically vibrating with excitement.  _

_ “Let’s do this.” she exclaims, jumping out of the car. Gendry sighs, following after her at a much more sedate pace.  _

_ xXx _

_ “No Elmar tonight?” Gendry asks as they settle into her bed, the TV ready to play her favorite movie. He’s not complaining of course. He’d pretty much do anything to keep her away from him, but she seems to genuinely like him, whether Gendry approves or not and one would think she would want to spend her birthday with her boyfriend.  _

_ “No, he’s visiting his uncle until next week. We’ll go out when he gets back. He said something about the beach at Long Lake.” she tells him. “Besides, this is our tradition. No boyfriends or girlfriends allowed, just the wolf and the stupid bull.” _

_ “Oi, why am I the  _ stupid  _ bull?” he asks. Arya cackles at the indignant look on his face.  _

_ “Because you are.” she says through her laughter. She rolls over, cuddling into his side and Gendry feels something he doesn’t want to think too hard on. So he stamps it down and gets comfortable next to her. _

_ “Happy Birthday you pain in my ass.” he tells her, he feels her smile as she presses her face into his side.  _

_ “Thank you, stupid bull.”  _


	9. ...And Many More

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 9: Confessions

xXx

Gendry wakes with a start, his phone blaring some obnoxious pop hit Myrcella programmed in. A song she programmed in specifically for Arya. He dives across the bed, snatching the phone off the table and fumbling to answer it. Arya is a heavy sleeper, always has been, the fact that she’s calling him near two in the morning, when he knows for a fact she went to bed nearly two hours earlier, something has to be wrong. 

“Arya?” he answers, listening for her answer. He hears her breath hitch, a sniffle following. “Arya? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” 

_ “I need you.” _ she finally replies, her voice soft, strained. 

“I’m here, Arry, I’m always here.” he tells her and he hears her sniffle again. 

_ “I know.” _ she’s not just sniffling, she’s crying, he can hear it now and starts climbing out of bed. 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming over. Just sit tight, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He waits for her to answer and then hangs up, dressing in whatever he can find, stuffing what he needs in his pockets, grabbing Thor and running out of his flat. He must break every traffic law there is, speeding through the streets of Wintertown and out into the countryside, following the back roads along Long Lake toward her little cottage. He manages to cut five minutes off his trip, screeching to a stop and sliding along the gravel of her driveway. 

He can hear Nymeria barking inside, probably startled by his sudden approach. He uses the key she gave him, barging into her home and calling out for her. He drops Thor on the floor and the puppy runs off in search of his mother. 

“Arry?” 

“Up here.” he hears her reply, following it up to the second floor. She’s in her room, sitting in bed, her eyes red, face puffy from crying. Nymeria is lying at the foot of the bed whining, Thor cuddled up next to her. She looks up at him as he approaches. “You came.” she says, voice soft and ragged. 

“Of course I came.” he replies gently, crawling into the bed beside her. He pulls her close. “Did you doubt?” he chuckles. 

“No.” she tells him, leaning heavily against him. “Never. You’re always there, even when I make it difficult. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but it must have been pretty good if your still here after all the bad things I’ve done.” 

“Tell me what happened, Arry.” 

She sniffled. “Rickon exploded today, started yelling at everyone for just pretending that nothing had happened. It started a chain reaction and before I knew what was happening, everyone was unloading their feelings on me.” she tells him. “I didn’t know what to say, so I just told them I was glad they weren’t holding it in anymore and some of them didn’t seem to like that answer. They all wanted answers, they wanted to know why I was gone so long and what I had done, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth.” 

“What is the truth?” 

She doesn’t answer right away and for a moment he worries that he’s said something wrong, but then he hears her take a deep shaky breath. “I didn’t mean to be gone so long. It was only supposed to be a year, if that. I just wanted to get away until everything died down, until I could get my head clear.” she says. “But… but then I met someone… and he promised he could help me let go of everything. I know it was stupid, but I was desperate to get home and I listened to him, I listened and… I did a lot of stupid things over the next three years.” he feels her shudder and holds her tighter, laying a kiss against her temple in some form of comfort. He’s not sure it’s enough and apart of him is afraid to hear what she’s about to tell him. 

“What happened Arya?” he asks when she doesn’t continue. 

“I started drinking… a lot… not like your father, but more recreational, we would go to clubs every night and I would just get shit faced until I couldn’t remember my own name. I was just a girl there, I wasn’t Arya Stark, family disappointment. And then… it got worse. It was just small things at first, club drugs, ecstasy mostly, but there were more later. They all just kept adding up until finally I would wake up every morning feeling like I had died and wishing it was the night before when everything was a blur and I didn’t feel like the world was closing in on me.” her breathing is shaky now, and he can hear the strain in her voice as she continues. “I just got caught in the vicious cycle and before I knew it, I had been gone for so long I wasn’t even sure where home was anymore.”

They sit in silence for awhile, Arya trying to hold back sobs. He can feel her struggle, her body pressed against him. This isn’t exactly how he hoped to be this close to her again. They hadn’t discussed much since his birthday a few weeks ago, but things had changed between them. Their text messages were more frequent, more intimate and when they spent time together she was much more tactile with him, a fact that gave him more hope than was probably safe. 

“You’ve clearly stopped all of that. How?” 

Arya sits up, pulling away and he feels the loss of her warmth against him. She turns to look at him, tears shining in her eyes. “You.” his confusion must show on his face, because she continues. “I spent all night at a rave and when I got home I was a mess. I was hung over, nauseous, desperate to find relief again. I walked in and there was an envelope on the floor, someone had slipped it under my door. I assumed it was an eviction notice. I had been so fucked up that month I forgot to pay my rent, so I just set it aside and went to bed. I woke up that night and got ready to go out again and while I was getting something to eat I noticed the envelope again. I don’t know why I thought to open it then, but I did and it wasn’t what I thought.” 

“What was it?” he asks. 

“Your letter.” she says. She pulls away, turning to her nightstand and reaching into the drawer. She pulls out a familiar envelope, the edges frayed and bent with years of wear and tear. “It was the letter you sent with Hot Pie.” she huffs. “I must have read this letter a hundred times. I hurt you and you forgave me and I just felt like shit. All I could think about was how disappointed you would be if you could see me then and if I had to see that on you I would have died.” she says. “I’d never survive seeing you look at me like you look at your father.” 

“Arry…”

“No.” She cuts him off. “Don’t say you wouldn’t have. You didn’t see me back then, you didn’t…” the tears start falling again. “You don’t know how bad it was, I was a mess. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror, much less stand to let anyone else I cared about look at me.” 

Without thinking, Gendry reaches forward, pulling her back to him. He holds her as the tears flow freely again. He can feel them leaking through his shirt but it’s the least of his concern. Of all the things he’d expected to hear from her this was not it. It certainly explained her sour feelings toward Braavos though. It made sense that the place filled with such bad memories and reminders of her perceived shortcomings would cause her so much pain. 

He’s not sure how long they sit there before he feels her begin to calm. Her voice is soft, so low that he almost doesn’t hear her. “You saved me that day.” she whispers. “You weren’t even there and you still had my back, like always did.”

“I’ve told you before, I will always be here Arry.” he tells her. “No matter how far apart we are, or how bad things get, I will be here for you.” 

Arya shifts, still leaning against him, she looks up at him, that same look in her eyes as she had right before she kissed him a few weeks ago. This time he leans forward first, stealing the first kiss and following her lead as she deepens it. He leans forward, pushing her back against the mattress. She moaned against his lips as she untangles herself from the blankets so she can wrap her legs around his waist. 

A yelp startles them, pulling them apart and they look down on the end of the bed to find Nymeria and Thor looking back up at them disgruntled, before Nymeria leads Thor off the bed and out the door. 

“Oops.” Gendry huffs. Arya laughs. He doesn’t get the chance to second guess what he’s started, as Arya reaches up and pulls him back down.

He’s all too happy to follow her lead.


	10. Mornings Are For Coffee and Contemplation

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Chapter 10: Mornings Are For Coffee and Contemplation

xXx

Gendry wakes feeling more rested than he has in a very long time. There’s a warm presence against his chest and its small, but far too big to be Thor. He smiles and with his eyes still closed he wraps himself around the body beside him, burying his face in the back of her neck. He feels her stir, grumbling at being woken up so early. She has never been a morning person and it would seem at least that hadn’t changed. 

He feels her elbow jab into his ribs and only rolls over to trap her partially under him, chuckling as her protests grow. 

“Urgh, you’re such an arsehole.” she complains, jamming her face into her pillow.

“Mum always said to stick to what your good at.” he replied, burying his face in her neck again, leaving a trail of kisses along the side. He feels her moan rattle through her back and starts to nip at the skin, pressing his hips into her back. 

“Gendry.” she moans breathily. It’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. His name, falling from her lips on a sigh. Her tiny body beneath him, meeting his hips as he grinds against her. She’s perfection and after years of pining for her from a distance, of worrying about her a continent away, she’s here and she’s his and he’s hers, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can tear them apart now. 

No sooner does he think that, does a furry mass collide with him. He yelps, pulling back as Nymeria weasels her head between them, licking Arya’s face. She laughs, reaching out to push the large dog away. Thor appears soon after, ensuring that Gendry can’t come to her rescue, parking himself on his chest and curling up as if to sleep. 

“Enough baby.” Arya says, managing to turn over and push Nymeria back. The dog goes, laying down between them. She sighs, looking over at him and smiling at the sight. “I guess they think the few times last was enough.” she laughs. 

Gendry looks down at Thor and boops him on the nose. “In the future, I would appreciate knowing what the limit is ahead of time. Thank you.” Arya laughs, turning over and laying her head on his shoulder. She has to lay at a weird angle to accommodate Nymeria, but she doesn’t complain as he leans over and lays a kiss on her crown. 

“You know.” she tells him, reaching up to scritch at Thor’s ears. “They can’t follow us into the shower.” 

Gendry grins, turning his head to look at her. “Genius.” she grins back, slipping out of bed. He watches is fascination, his eyes traveling the length of her body, cataloguing ever change he felt last night. The largest of which are two long slashes across her ribs. The question is on the tip of his tongue, but she doesn’t give him the chance. 

“Coming?” she asks, turning and walking out and disappearing into the bathroom across the hall. He looks down at the puppy on his chest and wraps his arms around him, kissing him on the snout. 

“Love ya buddy, but I gotta go.” he gently rolls out from under him, laying Thor on the bed next to his mother and trying not to feel bad as he whines. “Trust me, you’ll understand when your older.” he calls over his shoulder as he runs after her.

xXx

Arya’s home is a paradise. It’s late summer, only a few days until the official start of fall and the fruit trees in her backyard are already ready for harvest. The flowers have stopped blooming but they’re still as fresh as ever, brightening up the patio under the thick climbing roses. It’s here they find themselves eating breakfast. The dogs playing with the few toys Arya brought out and a light breeze keeping it cool even where the sun peeks through the vines. 

It’s the perfect morning after a long night and Gendry feels lighter than he has in a long time. It’s strange to think he hadn’t even noticed how heavy the weight on his shoulders was until this morning, the only weight he could still feel being Arya, cuddling the arm that he’d wiggled underneath her. 

“What are you thinking about over there?” she asks, pulling him from his thoughts. 

“You.” he answers honestly, loving the little blush that rises on her cheeks. “I lived my life to make you proud too, you know. I was in a bad place when you left and Clegane reminded me in his oh so  _ comforting _ way that you would hate it if I put my life on hold waiting for you to come home.” he continues. “So I kept going, worked for him for awhile then after my father died, I used my inheritance to buy my own shop.” 

“I am proud of you.” she tells him. “Mostly because you used your inheritance to do something that would piss your father off, but all that other stuff is good too.” 

Gendry laughs. “Always a rebel, eh?” 

She grins looking so proud of herself. “Of course.” 

He chuckles, shaking his head. “And what does the little rebel want to do today?” 

She smirks, biting her lip in that way that always drives him crazy. “I can think of a few things.” 

Gendry rolls his eyes. She has a one track mind, always has. “ _ Other _ than that.”

xXx

Gendry wakes midafternoon to find the space beside him empty. He’s lying on his side, awkwardly bunched up against the back of the sofa, facing the television. After breakfast they had cleaned up and, deciding not to go back to bed, they watched a movie instead, something they must have watched a million times together growing up. It was just like when they were kids, except this time, at any point, Gendry could turn over and steal a kiss, or press a little closer than he would have years ago and he loved every minute of it. 

But now he was alone and it was only sounds in the next room that let him know this wasn’t all just a dream. Slowly he got up, stretching out the kinks in his back and shoulders. He groaned in relief, standing and making his way into the kitchen where he found Arya at the counter, making what he assumed was lunch. He saunters up behind her, pressing against her back and boxing her in against the counter. Her laugh was light and breathy as he pressed a kiss into her shoulder. 

“I woke up and you weren’t there.” he pouts. “I don’t think I can handle that ever again.” 

She laughs. “It’s only been a day stupid.” 

Gendry grins, nipping at her earlobe. “But what a wonderful day it is.” she huffs. 

“I was going to wake you up when lunch was ready.” she tells him. And it’s then that he notices the picnic basket at the other end of the counter. 

“Are we going on an adventure, Milady?” he asks, grunting as her elbow collides with his ribs. 

“I thought we could take Thor and Nymeria on a walk, there’s a little creek a few minutes from here.” she tells him. “And while we’re there, I thought we could have a late lunch.” 

“Sounds good to me. You finish this, I’ll rangle the dogs.” 

It’s not long before their walking through the field of lavender across the dirt road from her front door. Arya has the picnic basket in one hand and Nymeria on a leash in the other, leading them through a hidden path down into the tree line. True to her word, it’s only a few minutes before he hears the soft babbling of water ahead as they come out through an opening in the trees. The small clearing is beautiful. Trees create a canopy to keep the sun at bay and the grass is soft and well fed underfoot. 

Arya brings the basket over to a patch of grass at the base of an oak tree and lets Nymeria off her leash. The older dog waits for Gendry to let Thor go before leading her puppy off to the creak to play. 

“You’re still as good a cook as ever, Arry.” Gendry tells her as they eat under the shade of the oak tree. She smiles at him. 

“I learned a lot from Hot Pie while he was living in Braavos.” she tells him. Gendry smiles. Hot Pie tended to refrain from speaking about Arya to anyone. He’d told Gendry that it wasn’t his place to say anything about her without her consent and given what she’d told him last night he understood why. There was, however, a part of him that was jealous of HP. While they all worried about her, he got to see her, got to know she was alright. He couldn’t fault him of course, but some days Gendry wished he had gotten up the nerve to visit him. 

“Can I ask you something?” he speaks up, drawing her attention away from Nymeria and Thor, splashing around in the creek. 

“Of course.” 

He hesitates, not sure how to ask, but he’s come this far and he’s got a burning need to know. “How… how did you get those scars?” 

Arya’s whole manner shifts, her body tensing. She looks away, leaning back against the tree for support. “The guy is Braavos. The one who promised he could help me forget…” she pauses, taking a deep breath before looking back up. “He was in a cult, and one night I was fucked up enough to agree to go to one of their gatherings. I was sworn to secrecy, and to be honest it wouldn’t really matter, I barely remembered anything that happened that night. A few weeks later your letter showed up and I started pulling away from them. I begged off going out with them and made excuses about why I couldn’t go and one of his friends got suspicious. She followed me and saw me going to an AA meeting.” she stops to take a breath. “I don’t know if she was worried that I would say something, or tip someone off that something strange was going on.” 

“So… she stabbed you?” 

Arya nods. “I got home from working the late shift one night and she ambushed me when I got in. I tried to get away, but she was high on something and ridiculously strong. The only reason I survived was because my neighbor heard me scream. He came in to see if I was okay and scared her off.” 

Gendry’s sure he looks angry. “Did the police catch her?” 

She looks hesitant to answer and it’s all he needs to know. “She disappeared. No one could say where she went and the other members of the cult wouldn’t speak to the police.” she tells him. “It’s been seven years, and there’s been no word of her. I’ve pretty much given up any hope that they’ll find her and quite frankly, I don’t think I care anymore. As long as she stays away from me and mine, I’m not going to push for the police to find her.” 

Well he doesn’t like the sound of that, but he supposes if she hasn’t come after Arya in over seven years, she’s probably not going to come after her now. Probably, however, is not good enough. He’ll think about that later though. Now, he needs to worry about how she’s handling the bad memories he’s forced her to remember. 

Gendry takes a deep breath and shifts around to sit next to her. She’s more than happy to lean into him and they sit side by side against the oak tree, watching Nymeria and Thor run along the banks of the creek. 


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I'm working on sequels and deleted scenes so stay tuned!

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Epilogue

xXx

Gendry finds Arya exactly where her mother said she would be, directing the delivery men as they carried around large vases of flowers. She’s focused on her work and he takes the opportunity to watch her. She looks beautiful in her bridesmaid dress, beautiful flowing blue tulle, light and airy, perfect for Sansa’s spring wedding. Even after two years together, he still doesn’t tire of watching her. 

As she turns to point in the direction she needs one of the vases placed, she notices him, smiling. She finishes her work quickly and approaches him where he stands leaning against one of the trellis archways that were spread throughout the property. 

“Hey.” she greets him, rising up on her toes to lay a kiss on his lips. 

He grins as she pulls back. “Hey. How’s everything going?” 

“Good, almost finished, just a few more vases to place.” she tells him. “How about you? How is everyone?” 

“They seem alright. Your sister is a little frazzled but I think that’s just nerves. The press out front aren’t helping and your father is doing what he can to get rid of them.” 

“What about Margaery?” 

“Enjoying a nice buzz with her brother and my uncle.” he laughs. “She’s very excited.” 

“Good, I would hate to have to kick her ass for breaking my sister’s heart.” 

Before Gendry can reply a voice calls out and he turns to find Catlyn making her way toward them. “Are the flowers finished?” she asks. 

“There are a few more to place in the reception hall, but the ceremony is finished.” 

The older woman looks relieved. “Good.” she then turns to Gendry. “Could you help Jon with RJ and Lyanna? I’ve commandeered everyone else to run errands today and their running amuck.”

“Sure.” he agrees easily, bidding Arya farewell with another kiss before walking off. 

“You know.” she began when he was out of sight. “This could be you two pretty soon.” 

Arya rolls her eyes. “Mom, please.” 

“What? I’m just saying, you two have been together for awhile now, friends for even longer, I would think he’s at least thinking of asking.” 

“He very well might be, but today is Sansa’s day, so let’s focus on Sansa.” 

Catelyn smiles lovingly at her youngest daughter. “You’re a good sister.” she tells her.

“Yeah, well, I have a lot to make up for.” Arya says, looking down at her clipboard to avoid looking at her mother. 

“No, sweetie, you don’t.” Arya looks up surprised by the firmness in her voice. “You had your own life to live, in your own way, and maybe it hurt when you left and we didn’t know where you were or what had happened, but sometimes you have to do what’s best for you, regardless of anyone else’s feelings.” 

“Thank you.” Arya replies, her voice soft. She’s on the verge of tears but she refuses to cry. Catelyn pulls her into a hug and they just stand there for a moment. 

The ceremony goes off without a hitch, the loving couple reciting their vows and sending everyone into tears. Arya watches with a soft smile, pressed into Gendry’s side as Sansa and Margaery dance their first dance as wives. It’s hard for Arya to imagine a time where Sansa didn’t look so happy, hard to remember the pain she’s suffered getting to this moment, not when their smiles shine so brightly for each other. 

“What do you think love?” Gendry asks, his voice soft against her ear. “You wanna do that someday?” 

She smiles, turning to look up at him. “With you?” she teases.

“Preferably.” 

"Absolutely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I'm working on sequels and deleted scenes so stay tuned!


End file.
